Month: February 2011

Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conductive to growth, expansion and success. It is a mental attitude that expects good and favorable results. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action. Whatever the mind expects, it finds.

Not everyone accepts or believes in positive thinking. Some consider the subject as just nonsense, and others scoff at people who believe and accept it. Among the people who accept it, not many know how to use it effectively to get results. Yet, it seems that many are becoming attracted to this subject, as evidenced by the many books, lectures and courses about it. This is a subject that is gaining popularity.

It is quite common to hear people say: “Think positive!”, to someone who feels down and worried. Most people do not take these words seriously, as they do not know what they really mean, or do not consider them as useful and effective. How many people do you know, who stop to think what the power of positive thinking means?

The following story illustrates how this power works:
Allan applied for a new job, but as his self-esteem was low, and he considered himself as a failure and unworthy of success, he was sure that he was not going to get the job. He had a negative attitude towards himself, and believed that the other applicants were better and more qualified than him. Allan manifested this attitude, due to his negative past experiences with job interviews.

His mind was filled with negative thoughts and fears concerning the job for the whole week before the job interview. He was sure he would be rejected. On the day of the interview he got up late, and to his horror he discovered that the shirt he had planned to wear was dirty, and the other one needed ironing. As it was already too late, he went out wearing a shirt full of wrinkles.

During the interview he was tense, displayed a negative attitude, worried about his shirt, and felt hungry because he did not have enough time to eat breakfast. All this distracted his mind and made it difficult for him to focus on the interview. His overall behavior made a bad impression, and consequently he materialized his fear and did not get the job.

Jim applied for the same job too, but approached the matter in a different way. He was sure that he was going to get the job. During the week preceding the interview he often visualized himself making a good impression and getting the job.

In the evening before the interview he prepared the clothes he was going to wear, and went to sleep a little earlier. On day of the interview he woke up earlier than usual, and had ample time to eat breakfast, and then to arrive to the interview before the scheduled time.

He got the job because he made a good impression. He had also of course, the proper qualifications for the job, but so had Allan.

What do we learn from these two stories? Is there any magic employed here? No, it is all natural. When the attitude is positive we entertain pleasant feelings and constructive images, and see in our mind’s eye what we really want to happen. This brings brightness to the eyes, more energy and happiness. The whole being broadcasts good will, happiness and success. Even the health is affected in a beneficial way. We walk tall and the voice is more powerful. Our body language shows the way you feel inside.

Positive and negative thinking are both contagious.
All of us affect, in one way or another, the people we meet. This happens instinctively and on a subconscious level, through thoughts and feelings transference, and through body language. People sense our aura and are affected by our thoughts, and vice versa. Is it any wonder that we want to be around positive people and avoid negative ones? People are more disposed to help us if we are positive, and they dislike and avoid anyone broadcasting negativity.

Negative thoughts, words and attitude bring up negative and unhappy moods and actions. When the mind is negative, poisons are released into the blood, which cause more unhappiness and negativity. This is the way to failure, frustration and disappointment.

Practical Instructions

In order to turn the mind toward the positive, inner work and training are required. Attitude and thoughts do not change overnight.

Read about this subject, think about its benefits and persuade yourself to try it. The power of thoughts is a mighty power that is always shaping our life. This shaping is usually done subconsciously, but it is possible to make the process a conscious one. Even if the idea seems strange give it a try, as you have nothing to lose, but only to gain. Ignore what others might say or think about you, if they discover that you are changing the way you think.

Always visualize only favorable and beneficial situations. Use positive words in your inner dialogues or when talking with others. Smile a little more, as this helps to think positively. Disregard any feelings of laziness or a desire to quit. If you persevere, you will transform the way your mind thinks.

Once a negative thought enters your mind, you have to be aware of it and endeavor to replace it with a constructive one. The negative thought will try again to enter your mind, and then you have to replace it again with a positive one. It is as if there are two pictures in front of you, and you choose to look at one of them and disregard the other. Persistence will eventually teach your mind to think positively and ignore negative thoughts.

In case you feel any inner resistance when replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, do not give up, but keep looking only at the beneficial, good and happy thoughts in your mind.

It does not matter what your circumstances are at the present moment. Think positively, expect only favorable results and situations, and circumstances will change accordingly. It may take some time for the changes to take place, but eventually they do.

Another method to employ is the repetition of affirmations. It is a method which resembles creative visualization, and which can be used in conjunction with it. It is the subject of another article on this website.

The other articles at this website, about the power of concentration, will power, self-discipline and peace of mind also contribute to the development of a positive mind, and are recommended for reading and practicing.

Human Aura Human Magnetism and Magnetic Healing

Magnetic Healing:

The human aura is the great storehouse, or reservoir, of human magnetism, and is the source of all human magnetism that is projected by the individual toward other individuals. Just how human magnetism is generated, is, of course, a far deeper matter, but it is enough for our purpose at this time to explain the fact of its storage and transmission.

In cases of magnetic healing, etc., the matter is comparatively simple. In such instances the healer by an effort of the will (sometimes unconsciously applied) projects a supply of his pranic (vital) aura vibrations into the body of his patient, by way of the nervous system of the patient, and also by means of what may be called the induction of the aura itself.

The mere presence of a person strongly charged with prana (vital force), is often enough to cause an overflow into the aura of other persons, with a resulting feeling of new strength and energy. By the use of the hands of the healer, a heightened effect is produced, by reason of certain properties inherent in the nervous system of both healer and patient.

There is even a flow of etheric substance from the aura of the healer to that of the patient, in cases where the vitality of the latter is very low. Many a healer has actually, and literally, pumped his life force and etheric substance into the body of his patient, when the latter was sinking into the weakness which precedes death, and has by so doing been able to bring him back to life and strength. This is practically akin to the transfusion of blood – except that it is on the psychic plane instead of the physical.

But the work of the magnetic healer does not stop here, if he be well informed regarding his science. The educated healer realizing the potent effect of mental states upon physical conditions – of mental vibrations upon the physical nerve centers and organs of the body – endeavors to arouse the proper mental vibrations in the mind of his patient. Ordinarily, he does this merely by holding in his mind the corresponding desired mental state, and thus arousing similar vibrations in the mind of the patient. This of itself is a powerful weapon of healing, and constitutes the essence of mental healing as usually practiced. But there is a possible improvement even upon this, as we shall see in a moment.

The advanced magnetic healer realizing the law of action and reaction in the matter of the auric colors, turns the same to account in healing work, as follows: He not only holds in his mind the strong feeling and thought which he wishes to transmit to the patient, but (fix this in your mind) he also pictures in his imagination the particular kind of color which corresponds with the feeling or thought in question.

A moment’s thought will show you that by this course he practically multiplies the effect. Not only do his own thought vibrations (1) set up corresponding vibrations in the mind of the patient, by the laws of thought transference, but (2) his thought of the certain colors will set up corresponding vibrations not only in his own aura, but will also (2) act directly upon the aura of the patient and reproduce the colors there, which (3) in turn will arouse corresponding vibrations in the mind of the patient, by the law of reaction.

Magnetism is the power by which you draw things to you: the right husband or wife, the right business, the right friends, and so on. Magnetism of every kind originates in the Infinite Spirit. A bundle of magnets Each human being is a medium through which God’s magnetism flows. All parts of the body that come in pairs–eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc.–form magnets of greater or lesser power. Soul magnetism is expressed through the eyes, weakly or strongly, depending on one’s spiritual development. Some highly developed people are able to spiritualize or heal others solely by the magnetism of their eyes. First develop spiritual magnetism Unless your magnetism is right, you will draw the wrong people or things. Fear, for example, creates a malignant magnetism by which a person attracts the very object of his fear. The magnetism of humility, on the other hand, attracts the all-protecting presence of friends, saints, and God. If you use all your magnetism to gain material things, sooner or later you will be disillusioned. But if you first develop spiritual magnetism, it will guide you in the proper ways to supply your material needs. Strong and weak magnetism Everyone possesses the power of magnetism, but very few people are truly magnetic. Negative qualities such as material desire, passivity, revenge, hatred, and feelings of inferiority obstruct that magnetic power. If you are absent-minded, thinking one thing while doing something else, your energy is divided and you have little magnetism. Doing everything with will power and one-pointed concentration greatly strengthens your magnetism. If you are a slave to any of the senses, you are losing magnetism. If you have control over them, you are developing magnetism. Emotionalism is very de-magnetizing, whereas even-mindedness in the face of all difficulties leads to magnetic living. In order to have magnetism, it is necessary to keep the body free from poisons that obstruct the flow of energy. Only with inner cleanliness can all of your energy be displayed through your eyes, face and body. We exchange magnetism with our associates We must be careful with whom we associate because we are continually exchanging magnetism with people through our thoughts, shaking hands, and our eyes. We become like the people we mingle with, not through their conversation, but through the silent magnetic vibration that goes out of their bodies. The stronger person gives his vibration to the weaker. For example, if a reformer of weak character endeavors to influence a confirmed evildoer, it is quite likely that the reformer will draw evil qualities. Only in a very limited way will the evildoer draw good qualities.(See Developing the Right Kind of Magnetism, below) The right kind of magnetism “The right kind of magnetic power has expanding, uplifting, spiritual qualities. Some people are so magnetic that they vibrate kindness and you love them immediately. This is the sort of magnetic power we should try to develop.” “Try always to be dressed in the magnetic qualities of calmness, fair-mindedness, firmness, wisdom, and understanding. Wherever you go, scatter kindness; let your eyes and heart be charged with God. That is what Jesus meant when He said: “Be ye fishers of men.” One can develop spiritual magnetism through will power, regular meditation, and thinking of God and saintly people. By visualizing and meditating on saintly people, one attracts their spiritual magnetism. Use your time to develop spiritual magnetism to attract the Imperishable. When you have developed the power to attract the highest, you can easily attract all lesser things. Developing the Right Kind of Magnetism

* One strongly good individual plus one weak evil individual–the good magnetism will be predominant.

* A strong spiritual power plus a strong business success results in both a strong spiritual magnetism and a strong business magnetism.

* A strong failure plus a strong success can result in either a strong failure magnetism or a strong success magnetism.

* A person of great calmness plus a person with a slightly angry disposition–the magnetism of calmness will be predominant.

* A strong intellectual power plus a weak intellect–the strong intellectual power will be predominant. Author’s Bio

What are Brainwaves?

Dr. Laura De Giorgio

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a study of changing electrical potential of the brain. The apparatus used to measure this electric potential of the brain is called electroencephalograph, and the tracing or the printout of the measured brainwave forms is electroencephalogram.

Frequency is the number of complete repetitive waves that occur in a given unit of time. Frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz) or cycles per second (cps). According to their frequency brainwaves are divided into 4 main groups, also referred to as “brain states”

Dreamless
Generally associated with no thinking
– unconscious / superconscious
Access to non-physical states of existence – a key state for healing, “regeneration” and “rejuvenation”

Some research has been done associated with the activities and benefits of other brainwave frequencies, such as Super Beta, Gamma, etc.

The lower your brainwave cps, the more is your awareness turned toward your subjective experience, toward your inner world and the more effectively are you able to use the power of your mind to create changes in your body. With each lower state you become more fully aligned with the source of power within you, with your unconscious, or if you prefer, with that part of you that is greater than you (your body).

Generally in Beta state, your attention is focused outward. In alpha it begins to turn inward, and in theta and delta it goes further and further inward. The deeper you go, the more effectively are you able to enter your subconscious.

You can imagine that at the borderline between Beta and Alpha States is a doorway to your subconscious mind, and the doorway consists of what is hypnosis referred to as your “critical faculty”.

And you can imagine that at the borderline between Alpha and Theta states is a doorway to your superconscious mind, where you begin to gain access to your “supernatural abilities”, which for most people manifest as bursts of insight. The more time you spend in this state, even if you’re not intentionally attempting to create a change, the more of these “abilities” begin to become part of you – you may simply notice that the time-lag between what you think and it’s manifestation in your outer world becomes shorter and shorter.

And you can imagine that at the borderline that at the borderline between Theta and Delta, you’re beginning to say “good-bye” to your physical experience of the world, as you’re getting altogether into experiencing yourself as non-physical being. Here your body is only a thought in your mind. If you are able to maintain your consciousness at this level, you can effect instant changes in the outer world. In this state, you can transcend the “laws of the physical world” because you’re not bound by them any more.

Whenever you think, you expand energy. In deep, dreamless Delta state, where your mind is fully resting, your body has the best opportunity to regenerate.

With meditative practice and self-hypnosis, you develop ability to remain conscious while getting progressively into deeper and deeper states. For example, a person without any mind training will tend to fall asleep when getting into theta state, while a person who has undergone some form of meditative mind-training will be able to be very deeply relaxed, yet conscious. The more you are able to remain conscious while in deeper states of mind, the less sleep will your require.

Yogic insights into Islam

There are a number of legends about the early life of Mohammed, founder of the religion of Islam.

It is said that just before Mohammed’s birth his father, Abdulah, dreamt of his unborn son. He saw growing from his child’s back a tree, which climbed upward, and reaching its full height emitted a light that spread around the world.

Most Muslims interpret the dream and its imagery symbolically. The tree would of course represent the religion of Islam, supported by Mohammed. The light is the wisdom of his teachings that have truly been globally disseminated.

However we also know that the tree in Mohammed’s back could be the ‘tree of life’ and is a common symbol in Middle Eastern and Islamic culture. Carl Jung, after years of studying the language of the unconscious, interpreted the tree of life as one of the universal unconscious’s synonyms for the Kundalini.

The Kundalini, said Jung, is a spiritual energy best documented by (but by no means exclusive to) the yogis of India. It should not at all be surprising, should we take an open- minded and closer look at Islam, that as with the other great religions, we find a deeper, more mystical and universal message: that of self realisation and the mechanism by which it occurs–Kundalini awakening. Every culture and religion has had individuals who have achieved a living, spontaneous, direct experience of their religion. A dynamic, suprahuman awareness that went beyond dogma and blind faith. The Gnostics of Christianity, the Yogis of Hinduism, the Fang- Shi of Tao and the Mystics of Islam all achieved these states and each have spoken of experiences that, despite differences of appearance, are strikingly similar in content.

Let us then look at Abdula’s dream from a yogic perspective. We can suggest that he actually saw the uniquely powerful Kundalini of his son. The ascent of Mohammed’s Kundalini was not simply of individual importance to Mohammed but had global, even cosmic significance. For the light, the divine energy of Mohammed’s Kundalini, was about to affect a spiritual and cultural revolution in Arabia. Mohammed was the vessel through which the universal unconscious, or ‘divine’, or ‘God’ was about to act.

As a child and young man Mohammed showed few signs of his prophetic destiny. He was well known for his moral integrity and good character but it was not until his forties that he became aware of his true purpose. Through a series of transformative experiences Mohammed was prepared for his divine role. These experiences culminated in the amazing Meraj (or ‘Ascent’).

The experience of the Meraj, like the rising kundalini that Abdula had seen, would not only revolutionise Mohammed’s awareness but send out shock waves which resonated in the unconscious of all Arabians and later, all the world.

Through the Meraj Mohammed realized the need for the establishment of a new culture. He was to establish a creed that went beyond the petty tribal boundaries, blood feuds and violent practices prevalent at the time. To go beyond such ingrained behaviour patterns Mohammed drew upon an awareness of superhuman proportions. He transcended the limitations of the human mind and tapped into the universal intelligence. His vision then became universal: to unite the peoples of Arabia under a system of morality, justice and compassion. A system that would serve as the foundation for one of the greatest civilisations in recorded history.

The Meraj gave Mohammed the confidence, wisdom and superhuman energy to attempt such a revolution.

In this visionary experience the angel Gabriel escorted Mohammed from his humble quarters to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. There the Buraq, a fantastic steed with the body of a horse, the head of a woman and the wings of a bird, greeted him. She shone with dazzling white brightness and her tremendous strength bore Mohammed up into the cosmos through the various divine dimensions.

Gabriel escorted Mohammed on the Buraq through the seven heavens. Each heaven had its own guardian angel and resident prophet who ruled the dimension in accordance with God’s laws. Mohammed bowed to guardian angels who determined his readiness to enter into their heaven, and then Mohammed respectfully paid homage to the reigning prophet. The prophet in turn blessed Mohammed and ushered him on to the next heaven and so on.

At the sixth heaven Gabriel brought Mohammed to the verge of the seventh. The archangel said that he himself could go no further. This, the seventh heaven, was the last frontier between god and man and Mohammed was ushered into the place described as the abode of God almighty.

Their Mohammed saw a beautiful, radiant tree with wondrous multicolored leaves. It was here that he communed with God and learned of his true purpose.

This beautiful and inspiring vision has motivated millions of Muslims for more than a thousand years. Its significance becomes even more universal when we examine it from the perspective of kundalini awakening, using the symbolic language of the universal unconscious.

The seven heavens through which Mohammed passed must of course correspond to the seven chakras that exist within the human body. Each chakra, say the yogis, is the abode of a special deity whose character embodies the chakra’s innate spiritual qualities. The human chakra system is a microcosm for the entire Eastern pantheon of gods, goddesses and heavenly beings. The prophets and angels that Mohammed encountered in each heaven could well have been these same inner deities that the yogis personally discovered through intense meditation.

The seventh heaven or chakra is the ‘Crown Chakra’ also termed Sahasrara. Yogis have described it as the most important of all the chakras for it represents the ultimate level of mystic awareness.

Like all the chakras it has a specific number of petals (in this case more than a thousand)|. Each chakra not only has a specific number of petals but also a specific radiant colour. The sahasrara’s appearance however is said to contain all the colours of the rainbow for it contains within it all the aspects (and hence the colours) of the six other chakras below it.

Such ancient yogic descriptions of the sahasrara could logically correspond to the resplendent and multicoloured sidrat which Mohammed encountered in the 7th heaven.

The kundalini is a feminine energy often described as an ‘inner goddess’ or ‘mother energy’. Her ascent from the sacrum, through the chakras located in the spinal cord, is the process of self-realisation. When the kundalini arrives in the crown chakra (sahasrara) the seeker experiences the complete transformation of awareness. One is taken beyond the limits of the human mind into the mystical states of meditation described by mystics and yogis alike.

In fact C.G. Jung described the kundalini as the ‘divine feminine ‘or ‘God the mother’. Notably, Mohammed’s vehicle for his own ascent through the heavenly dimensions was the lady-faced, dazzling buraq. The buraq could well be a feminine, Arabic synonym for kundalini.

In conclusion Mohammed’s ascent through the seven heavens was, in fact, the ascent of the kundalini, taking his consciousness with it, to divine union with the god almighty.

It is no coincidence that the entire Meraj is described to have started and finished in an incredibly short period of time: While sitting in his room Mohammad heard someone grasp the door handle and the sound of the latch clicking was the last thing he heard before Gabriel’s appearance and the duo’s departure on their spiritual journey. Mohammed’s return to mundane experience restarts with the next few clicks of the same latch movement. In other words the entire experience occurred in a sort of ‘no-time’. This is not an unusual proposition since meditation is a state of awareness created by the ascent of the kundalini through the chakras. As it pierces the sixth chakra (‘third eye’ or Agnya) and seventh, it takes the meditator into the state of ‘thoughtless awareness’ (Nirvichara Samadhi) and beyond. This is a simple state where one experiences true mental silence, beyond the normal mental awareness of past/future, cause/effect .

The mind, as this editorial column has often discussed before, can only deal with the dimension of past and future, cause and effect, thought and memory. However, the state of meditation begins in the ‘spaces between the thoughts’. This is the numinous dimension where there is no passage of time but only a singular, silent, eternal, thought-free and joyful experience.

It was from this dimension of awareness that Mohammed perceived the divine vision of a universal culture and spirituality. Through his meditative vision he learned of humanity’s higher potential thus his mystic perception of the universal spirit and its presence within each of us became the template upon which he sought to fashion a new society whose foundations lay not in issues of common material interest but in the unique awareness of self realization. Mohammed was, in fact, laying the first building blocks for the emergence of a spiritual civilization that may only now come into fruition.